


How Should I Take Your Order?

by anobtra (animeobsessedtrash)



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Akaashi Keiji cant have nice things apparently, Bakery AU, F/F, M/M, Past Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, So much angst, also a lot of fluff later, bar au, its a wild ride
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-16
Updated: 2018-07-15
Packaged: 2019-03-19 09:08:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13701342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/animeobsessedtrash/pseuds/anobtra
Summary: If this looks familiar, it is a reboot of the original one I wrote!In which Akaashi Keiji did not, in fact, ask for anything that happens in his life. He works at a bar called the Drunken Spirit and is just trying to get by.(alternatively: why can't akaashi have nice things...)





	1. New Starts

**Author's Note:**

> Hello hello! I'm back at it again with this fic!  
> It will be longer, angsty-er, and better than ever!!  
> I hope you like it (:

_Akaashi leaned all of his weight onto his bedroom door, slowly sliding down onto the floor, he was unable to support his own body due to the aggressive shaking in his legs; they would give way any second.  He pulled his knees tightly to his chest as his fingers trembled. Ragged breaths shuddered through his chest as scorching tears poured down his face in relentless waves. His eyes, nose and throat were on fire from crying for what felt like hours. He just didn’t understand. It didn’t make sense! Why? His legs splayed out as he tried to breathe normally again, but failed miserably._

 

_He curled his hands into tight fists, and slowly released them, in a feeble attempt to help him calm down, or at least cause the rivers of pain that flowed over his delicate features to cease. Once again, his heartbeat and breathing began to pick up at the thought of what he had seen a mere hour hour earlier; the cause of his currently pathetic state of being and his previous full blown mental breakdown._

 

 _“Why? WHY!?” he cried out to the empty apartment, whimpering as one of his quivering hands flew up to cover his mouth trying to stop himself from letting out another pathetic sob. He didn’t want to wake the people in the surrounding apartments. It was one in the morning. Every time he closed his eyes, he could see Koutarou and that-_ Akaashi choked out a strangled noise _\- that man…_

_Who was he?_

_Why did Bokuto do that to him?_

_Was he not enough?_

_After everything he had done for him, after all of their years together, was Akaashi still not enough?_

 

_Akaashi screamed and continued to sob, slamming his fist into the wall behind him_

 

_The sound of loud dance music and thrumming bass made its way through his mind. Akaashi walked through the house, moving deftly through the crowds of dancing people, the smell of strong alcohol tickled his nose. He was trying to find Bokuto. Sometime in the night, he had gotten distracted talking to an old acquaintance, and his boyfriend disappeared from his side. Keiji was getting tired, and really wanted to go home, but when he looked to his right, he was gone. So there he was, wandering around some stanger’s house by himself._

_He could feel the music deep in his chest. The chatter of close friends, girls throwing themselves onto guys, and people overall just yelling;  it was overwhelming. Red lights illuminated the house, strobing and dancing along walls and people’s faces, casting shadows everywhere. Akaashi made his way upstairs, looking in each room for his lover. He opened a door, and saw some poor drunk girl kneeling in front of a guy,_ hopefully she wont regret it in the morning _, he thought to himself._

_He tried to keep his mind on the beat of the music, it was starting to pick up speed. Keiji sighed as he opened another door. His slate grey eyes met gold and the bass dropped._

_Akaashi stood there as he watched his currently naked lover laying under some equally dressed  man. There was no shame in those golden eyes… The noises the (seemingly) older male had made were nauseating; the way he shamelessly pawed at Bokuto’s body… The way that man had left marks all over his boyfriend, who openly moaned at each touch… that would be forever engraved in Keiji’s heart._

_He slowly shut the door and backed up with small steps until he hit the opposite wall of the hallway, eyes wide. Akaashi turned and ran out of the front door, not looking back._

 

_The thought alone was enough to force Keiji to stand up and run to the bathroom, barely making it in time as he collapsed onto the toilet and began to convulse. He was crumpled there for a while, a vicious cycle of tears and bile that stung his esophagus more each time. The buzzing pain from the acid burning its way through his throat at least helped him to stop thinking about the previous predicament..._

 

Well this is the perfect way to celebrate the end of this year, huh? _Akaashi thought to himself, laughing bitterly, wiping the remains from his lips._ At least, I won’t have to see him at all anymore, since he is graduating this semester _. Akaashi stood up and started packing his things, throwing them haphazardly into a random suitcase; a feral hurricane of anger, sadness, confusion, betrayal and alcohol overcame him._

 

_Once finished with his mad dash to pack all of his clothing and other valued items (which included all of the kitchen utensils, from the bowls to the chopsticks, all the pillows, all of the good alcohol (and the beer because fuck Bokuto), speakers and both laptops) he got to work on the pictures. He left behind everything that had a strong connection to their relationship, but in all the photos of him, bokuto and his other friends, he ripped out every part that had Bokuto’s face and the scrapped pieces were put into metal bucket the middle of their once shared living room._

 

_By the time he got through all of the pictures, it was three am, so he decided to do one last thing. Akaashi was an artists, so he always left his signature, and an unforgettable impression on those who viewed his pieces. Quickly, he ran to the back room, pried open multiple cans of red paint and with his paint brush coated in the thick paint, he began._

 

 _Across an entire wall, he painted simply,_ **FUCK YOU.** _, and signed it with:_

 

How could you, Koutarou? I loved you.

Your ex,

Akaashi Keiji.

  


_He proceeded by taking down all of the curtains and splattered the red paint across the windows._

 

_The light that filled the room was haunting, it was almost a little too much, but quite frankly Akaashi did not give a damn. He bit his bottom lip a little too hard, and he could immediately taste copper coating his tongue._

 

_Picking up his phone, he texted a dear friend of his, asking if he could possibly room with him, knowing that his old roommate would be leaving to study abroad._

_Almost immediately, they responded_

 

 **[From Kenma]:** Yes, of course. But don’t you have an apartment with Bokuto-san?

 

_Akaashi’s throat tightened and he responded_

 

 **[To Kenma]:** No, I’ll explain when I get there.

 **[To Kenma]:** Sorry to wake you up so early, Kenma. 

**[From Kenma]:** I was already awake. Is everything okay Keiji?

 **[To Kenma]:** No.

 

_With a shaky breath, he was finally finished , with a death like calmness, he picked up the paint cans, and took a long, hot shower._

 

_As quietly as he could, he gathered as much as much of his belongings he could hold, (which would prove to be a difficult ordeal) loading it all into his car, making a few trips to get the rest of his things._

 

_After his last trip, the small bucket that contained all of the scrapped pieces of Bokuto’s face from various pictures and all of the pictures they had together, were set a flame._

 

_“Might as well end this year being extra as hell”, Akaashi mumbled to himself as he exited the apartment for the last time. Bokuto would have to pay for all of the damages, serves him right._

 

_He walked out of the apartment, the living space glowed in yellows, oranges and reds, from the fire and painted windows._

 

_Tears began to form again, prickling his bloodshot eyes as he turned on his car and sat there in silence. The clock read 5am. He pulled out of his parking space, and was about to leave, when a car swerved into the parking lot dangerously fast and pulled in directly behind his car._

 

_Oh...no...please not now...oh god Akaashi’s palms were sweating and his heart sank as he saw a desperate looking man running towards him._

 

_Bokuto was running up to Akaashi’s window “Damn, why did I leave the window down?” was all he could think, he didn't have it in him to roll it up. Bokuto was about to speak, but had stopped, mouth falling slightly open at noticing all of the various items thrown precariously into the younger’s car, and gave a slight wince. Akaashi whipped his head forward, refusing to break the staring contest he and a distant tree had just engaged in._

 

_“Akaashi...” he whispered “Please don’t leave...I’m sorry. I really, really am. I know I’ve done some really stupid shit before, and you forgave me… But i’m guessing this...was too much? Just- just, please don’t go?” The plea in his voice was disgusting and made the ravenette nauseous. Akaashi growls to himself, using all of his willpower to not break down into tears and forgive the asshole. “Keiji, I need you.”_

 

_“Don’t look at me. Don’t follow me. Do NOT.” Akaashi’s voice broke with each sentence, and whispered “do not, beg me to stay. Just, just leave me alone. Pretend I don’t exist. I mean, you’ve already done that today, haven’t you?” Akaashi laughed humorlessly before he finally broke. He began to sob all over again._

 

Not now damn it! _He cursed himself and his miserable, stupid fucking feelings, pounding his fist once onto the steering wheel._ NOT NOW. _He suddenly couldn’t breathe and the tears blurred his vision as he gasped for air._

 

_A hand reached out and caressed his face, wiping away the tears on his cheek. Akaashi’s eyes shot open as he hit Bokuto’s arm away, almost gagging at the touch. “Don’t you DARE touch me Bokuto Koutarou!” Akaashi bellowed as he smacked his hand away from his face, and for the first time that morning, he made eye contact with Bokuto._

_Akaashi’s eyes were wide and pupils constricted and steeles, filled with contempt; he felt the muscles in his neck twitching. His face was cast iron rage that could not and would not falter to the likes of Bokuto Koutarou; not anymore. For the very first time, Akaashi, had genuinely yelled at Bokuto out of pure anger, hatred. For the first time he felt no regret._

 

_Bokuto looked stricken. Eyes wide and surprised. He jumped back as Akaashi pressed of the gas pedal and weaved around Bokuto and his car, barely managing to not to hit Bokuto or clip the side of his car._

 

_“KEIJI!” Bokuto cried out into the dawn of the morning._

 

_For the first time, Akaashi didn’t give in. He just kept on driving. He felt his heart tear in two, half still with Bokuto in that empty parking lot, with the memories they made in that apartment, with the happiness they shared, with the life they had together, with everything that had come crashing down that night._

 

_The other half with him in his car._

_But now, he drove on, he drove as the light of the morning bathed him, and didn’t look back once._

  
  
  
  
  
  


Akaashi shifted slightly, and felt a few small objects roll off of his face, and bounce onto the wooden bar with little clacks. “What the hell?” Akaashi mumbled sleepily as his vision began to unblur, slowly opening his eyes, as a duo of stifled laughter followed. _Oh,_ he thought to himself _, that's right..._

 

“Morning sleeping beauty!” The first voice chirped, too loudly for Akaashi’s headache to handle.

 

“Did you have a nice nappy-poo?” a second voice purred, a little lower than the previous one; both sounding as if they were talking to a young child

 

Fully opening his eyes, Akaashi lifted his head from its place on his bent arm. He swung his other arm out quickly, and forcefully, making contact with the first person’s face, and let out an exasperated sigh as a pile of wasabi peas rolled off of his face and onto the floor, leaving seasoning powder all over his left cheek. The first voice, belonged to his coworker Hanamaki (who was now rubbing his cheek, pouting), they both worked at a bar called _Drunken Spirit_ , the owner was a friend of theirs; as were all of their other co-workers.

 

There was always a constant flow of customers from opening to closing but they frequently saw a few reappearing faces, such as the owner of the second voice, Matsukawa. He was a regular at the bar (as a joke the staff began to call him their resident barfly) and their best customer. Everyone who worked here was convinced he was an alcoholic, but because he was a close friend of Hanamaki’s everyone sort of accepted his occasionally hurtful, but very funny sarcasm (and borderline dangerous heavy drinking).  

 

“You guys,” Akaashi paused, “are jack-asses.” Usually, Akaashi would never talk to, well almost anyone like that, but they were the exception. Everyone at the bar got along well so everyone would always joke around like that. It was a nice environment to work in, surprisingly.

 

They both started laughing their asses off at Akaashi’s ‘done’ expression, and tired glare. The owner of the bar walked up behind Hanamaki, and (not-so) playfully smacked him in the back of the head with a thud. “OW! What was that for?!” Hanamaki whined as Akaashi’s lips ghosted a tired smile.

 

“That,” Daichi responded in a low growl, “was for wasting my FUCKING WASABI PEAS!”

Sighing, Daichi pinched the bridge of his nose, and began to walk to the back room as he called behind him “Now please, pick up the damn peas and for the last time, stop playing with them.”

 

“Well damn, someone’s salty today” Hanamaki commented as he bent down to pick up the scattered peas.

 

“Suga probably didn’t give him any last night” Matsun chuckled.

 

Akaashi just sighed and stood up, wiping his face with a napkin, and went behind the counter. Right now, the only people in the bar were Hanamaki, Matsukawa, Hanamaki, Daichi, Ushijima (who was most likely in the kitchen, but nowhere to be seen) a few passed out stragglers and himself.

 

The place was quite nice, actually. The wall in which the front doors stood was made of brick and the entrance itself were two large welded looking metal doors that opened up to five rounded, wide, brick steps that led down to the main area. From there, the rest of the floor was glossy deep brown wood. The remaining walls were matte black with gloss patterns crawling from the base slowly upwards, with various colorful, brightly lit signs covering almost every inch of them. Maroon booths lined two of the sidewalls, as half metal, half wooden tables were scattered throughout the open area, paired with metal chairs designed to look like wood, and black leather cushions (which matched the design of the stools in front of the bar table).

 

The ceiling was open, so you could see all of the piping, metal fans hung from the ceiling, along with what seemed to be endless golden-white christmas lights that looked like stars. The entire place was lit hundreds of different colored lights, but Akaashi liked it best when only the lights hanging from the ceiling were on. It was mainly because the wall directly behind where the bartender would stand was one solid mirror, making the “stars” look double the amount. They would sparkle onto all of the bottles, giving them a heavenly glow. Every table had a bowl that looked like random pieces of welded metal placed together, filled with ‘bar’ nuts.

 

Whenever people began to fill in (which was almost every hour after 4pm until everyone left around 2:30am), the hubbub of the previous shenanigans fade with the dispersing crowd, leaving only the sound of the fans above, the soft hum of the lights and soft jazz, all around the clinking of glasses being washed and put away, bottles placed in their respective places, and the exhausted chatter of the remaining employees. It was nice. It helped Akaashi forget almost all of his worries. _Almost._

 

Akaashi said his goodbyes as he exited the front of the bar. He liked leaving at night. All of the other stores that were lively during the day, were closed by now, so the _Drunken Spirit_ was the only one still glowing with life, looking almost rebellious. With a soft sigh, he threw his bag and coat in the car and began his drive home. After college, he, Kenma, Ennoshita and Hinata bought a house, so that they weren’t always being threatened by their landlords to be kicked out.

 

 _It feels nice to finally have a house to call my own_ Akaashi thought, even if I do share it with three other people. Honestly, Akaashi thought it was nice living with other people, instead of being in a huge house all by himself (as if he could afford it, he laughed). The loudest one was Hinata, and Kenma was somehow always able to make him calm down again, so they had a fairly laid back environment.

 

As Akaashi walked up to the house, he saw that all of the windows had golden light pouring through them. _Hmm… I guess everyone is still awake...I wonder why, it's so late. Ennoshita promised to make sure they went to sleep earlier. Ugh...oh well._ Akaashi sighed and opening the door.

 

“I’m home!” he announced

 

“Akaashi!” the distant trio responded, happier than normal

 

Akaashi’s lips spread into a faint smile. Coming home was nice, warm.

 

 

 

 

 


	2. Short-shorts and Crop Tops

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter:  
> Suga  
> Kuroo  
> And actual work at the bar

“I’m home!”

Akaashi’s smile was short lived.

The fire alarm began to shriek and he finally looked up, only to see smoke pouring from the kitchen and all of the fans in the house downstairs with Hinata madly waving a towel in the air, attempting to disperse the smoke a little faster.

“What the actual fuck guys? It’s four in the morning and you set the kitchen on fire? Seriously?...Hinata, I expect this from you, But Ennoshita? Kenma? Come on…” Akaashi huffed “You work at a FUCKING BAKERY!” Throwing aside his things, he jogged into the kitchen, coughing out a puff of smoke.

Kenma was sitting hunched under the table playing some game as Ennoshita was positively freaking out and hyperventilating as he tried to figure out what to do with the flaming fucking cake (at least that's what akaashi thought it was) and balls of coal scattered on their steel counter by the sink. 

Akaashi let out a very dramatic sigh, ushering a wide eyed, hyperventilating Ennoshita away from the flames, and set to his new tasks: try not to set the entire house on fire, and try not to wake up the rest of the goddamn neighborhood. That was if they weren't already awake from the collective shrieking of the fire alarms and Hinata… 

Quickly, Akaashi rolled up his sleeves, threw on an apron and armoured himself with oven mitts, a cookie sheet, and a long metal spatula. He shuffled closer to the mini chunks of lava; wielding his mighty spatula, he scooped up the first one, and flung it into the sink. 

He managed to get all of the cookie fireball things into the sink without burning anyone or anything, but that was the easy part. The cake. The very heavy, very tall cake... 

Smoke was still pouring from the kitchen, and from the living room, he could hear Hinata screaming to Ennoshita “WE ARE ALL GONNA DIE! I’M TOO YOUNG TO DIE!”, and Ennoshita sobbing in response. Kenma however, was still under the table except now he put his game aside and was holding the pan he used to protect himself from the previously flying cookie chunks, watching Akaashi.

Placing the spatula down on the floor, he shook out his hands and cracked his knuckles. Akaashi firmly held the cookie sheet with both hands on the shorter side and took a deep breath and a couple of steps back. Closing his eyes, he brought the sheet back like a bat, and ran forward screaming as he swung at the cake.

The cake splattered everywhere, the raspberry filling dripping on the wall like blood. Fortunately, half of the cake got into the sink, but the rest completely stained the pearl white walls. 

“This is just perfect…” Akaashi sighed turning the sink on and extinguishing the baked goods before he sat on the floor with Kenma, who still had his pan clasped in his hands. Leaning his head back on the legs of the table, tired from the day’s events, he drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

 

Akaashi awoke to the sound of Ennoshita’s shuffling footsteps and the clatter of multiple dishes. He was about to get up, when he noticed that Kenma had fallen asleep on his lap, looking very peaceful. Checking his phone he saw that it was already 10 o’clock in the morning and he had at least a hundred notifications from some group chat Ennoshita put him in. Too lazy to check the texts, he turned his phone off and began rubbing his eyes. 

Hinata sprinted into the kitchen and practically screeched “Good morning!”, causing Kenma to flinch awake, and Akaashi to sit up quickly, bumping his head on the table mumbling a small fuck to himself. Both Kenma and Akaashi crawled out from the table, standing up to stretch. Sleeping under furniture was fairly uncomfortable, Akaashi’s back and neck aches horrendously. 

“Well,” Akaashi mumbled, “this is ought to be an interesting day…” 

 

Normally, Akaashi would sleep in until he had his shift at the bar, which started at six, but the entire house smelled like smoke, and he had to go anywhere but there, so he decided to go down to the bakery with the three others around noon.

The bakery was very interesting. It was on the corner, so the two walls that faced out were made completely of glass. Out front, they had a huge light up sign that read Back Alley Bakery in huge metal letters, and a black barn door at the entrance. The interior was quite modern, they had the wall behind the counter covered with hundreds of photos of random people who came through the bakery, pictures of loved ones, cute drawings that kids left behind and a couple of Akaashi’s fairly intricate pieces alongside them, as per the owner’s request. 

The other wall was covered in metal that looked like tire tracks and a huge red cake painted on it. Throughout the shop, a few sculptures Hinata had made (which consisted mainly of bent pieces of metal that twisted into the shapes of different pastries and sometimes even people) decorated any empty space, ranging from a few inches tall to life size metal people that occupied a few seats in the bakery. The bakery itself was very attractive, suiting the man who owned the place. He was none other than Daichi's fiance, Suga. 

Akaashi knew Suga quite well, and was greeted with an extremely excited shout and endearing hug.  
“Akaashi! I’m so glad to see you! It feels like I haven’t seen you in forever!”  
Giving a slight smile, Akaashi hugged the silver haired man back and hummed in agreement. Suga pulled back from the hug and began to chatter eagerly with Akaashi.

The two were sitting at a table close to one of the large windows. Suga had Akaashi taste testing different tarts and sweets he had recently come up with, drinking tea and exchanging laughs as they begun catching and catching up (even though they had seen each other about two weeks ago).

“...yeah, and they almost burnt the house down.”

“Really!?” Suga gasped “Wow, that’s actually kinda funny. Oh! Guess what! We’re getting a new guy in a couple of days. He’s pretty hot and built, so i’m sure he’ll be able to bring in some more traffic in here. We’re doing pretty well right now, but a little more cash wouldn't hurt!” Suga threw his head back as his laugh rang like a bell through the bakery.

“Suga, dear god you're engaged don't go fawning over some random dude” Akaashi laughed 

Akaashi looked down at his phone, it was seven. Akaashi groaned to himself, Daichi hated it when anyone was late, no matter who it was or what the reason.  
As he got up to leave, Suga called after him “I HAVE THE RIGHT TO APPRECIATE A FINE ASS, DONT JUDGE ME KEIJI!” 

Whenever someone was late or annoyed Daichi particularly well, they had to wear these denim short shorts and a crop-top with the bars logo on it. It had started off as a joke mainly because it was Suga’s idea, but eventually became a running joke among everyone who worked there. It also helped because not only were all of the workers pretty good looking (if Akaashi could say so himself) it brought in more drunk patrons willing to dish out more money for food, so that they would have to come back to their table again… and made them more likely to leave better tips. 

He said his goodbyes to Suga and the employees of the bakery and jogged across the way to get to the bar. He weaved through the crowd of people outside of the bakery, and went through the back door in a failed attempt to avoid Daichi. A few of his other co-workers were in the kitchen with him as Daichi calmly walked up to him, and handed him his uniform for the night. As Akaashi looked up he saw Kageyama stifle a laugh, effectively making himself snort and both Kunimi and Ushijima give him a small, humorous smile. 

Huffing a little more dramatically than normal, he went to the back room and changed quickly. The shorts were okay, they were a little tight on the thighs, with frays and the pockets sticking out but it fit his hips fairly well. The crop top, however he felt a little off in. It was made of really soft material, he’d admit, but it showed more of his mid-drift than he would like and the straps barely clung to his shoulders. The cloth was very flowy and showed the slight outline of his abs, but right now, he honestly didn’t care. He was, as he usually was, ‘too tired for this shit’

When he walked out to the bartender’s table, he noticed that Hanamaki was adorned in the same outfit as him. When Hanamaki finally noticed that Akaashi was behind the bar with Iwaizumi (who didn’t seem to be fazed by Akaashi’s showy attire), he let out a wolf whistle and a chuckle as he walked up to him.

“Well don’t you look stunning tonight?”

“Don’t I always?” Akaashi yawned and rubbed a hand over his face and paused, not entirely expecting that to come out of his mouth. His filter became progressively looser as he got tired. He heard Hanamaki gasp with an airy “Sassy!” and Iwaizumi snorted

“Now that’s stunning. Akaashi, I honestly didn’t expect that” Matsukawa said as he walked up to them and sat in front of Akaashi and Hanamaki.

“Well quite honestly, I didn’t either.” Akaashi replied with his normal flat affect.

Hanamaki laughed, pointing finger guns at Akaashi “Well at least neither of us is alone in this” he batted his eyelashes “risque clothing!” he threw his hand over his forehead dramatically 

“Oh shut it Hanamaki” Iwaizumi said, barely hiding the smile on his face

“Bitch” Hanamaki blew a raspberry as he jumped out of the way of Iwaizumi’s hit, giggling as he ran away to officially start his shift

“I swear to god he is a child” Iwaizumi sighed

Akaashi hummed absentmindedly in agreement, stretching his neck as he tied his apron around his waist, grabbing his pen and pad.

It was going to be a long night.

People began to pour through the doors in waves that continued to grow as the clock finally turned to eight. Typically they were almost completely packed at this hour, and today was no exception. Akaashi had already gotten some pretty big tips, and he still had about six and a half hours on his shift. It was more than he usually would have at this point in his shift, which kinda made him feel a little more confident and comfortable in the revealing clothing. He began to move more fluidly, playfully flirting with some the patrons he was serving. 

At around ten o’clock a decent sized group of especially rowdy guys (idiots, Akaashi decided on, but technically was not allowed to say) entered. It wasn’t really until now, that Akaashi felt a little embarrassed about what he was wearing. But with a small sigh, and his head held high, he walked to their seats, smoothly weaving through dense clumps of people. When he finally got to the table, they were all talking and laughing, paying no attention to Akaashi until he had cleared his throat in order to gaining the attention of the guys seated at the table. All of them fell silent almost instantly when they saw their server.

“Well damn...how did they know it was my birthday?” One of them smirked. Akaashi looked at the owner of thick, sultry voice. Akaashi lifted an eyebrow, giving him a once over and scoffed. He had already gained a faint dislike for the man. His messy black hair stuck-up in spiky yet almost soft looking clumps, and what seemed to be bangs (?) covering one of his amber-gold eyes. In Akaashi’s opinion, it looked like someone took a weed-whacker to his head. His confident smirk spread across his face further, and Akaashi just shook his head lightly, biting his tongue before he said something he would most likely regret. 

Akaashi turned slightly, presenting his back to the black-haired man, and continued to talk to the rest of the group.  
“How may I help you gentlemen tonight?”  
A couple of them chuckled at the flat out rejection from the server, but somehow Akaashi managed to write down all of the drinks they wanted and was about to walk away. Ignoring the owner of that odd, moppy hair. 

The man spoke again, saying “Oi, Angel Eyes. What’s your name? Mine’s Kuroo. Kuroo Tetsuro” 

“Hmm” Akaashi hummed, and spoke over his shoulder “I don’t believe I asked.”

“Well that’s no way to treat a customer. You could at least take my order properly” Kuroo grinned

“Really? Well then. How should I take your order?” Akaashi sneered. He leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table right in front of this ‘Kuroo’ and stared at him innocently, with a slight pout and stuck his butt out. God, I’m so adventurous today! Akaashi snorted at himself, finally allowing himself to have some fun fucking with a guy that was obviously a douche.  
“Hm? Tetsuro?” he purred “You were saying?”

Kuroo’s eyes opened surprisingly wide, letting out a short, choked breath. Akaashi was so close, he could feel the man’s breath on his face and could clearly see the light blush dusting his cheeks. Akaashi smiled, tapping Kuroo’s nose lightly with his index finger and whispered “thought so.”

He stood up and walked away, proud of himself for being able to turn the table on the utter asshat.

He walked up to Iwaizumi and gave him the order. Akaashi decided to help Iwa with the order, wanting to have more of these fun (for Akaashi, at least) little interactions with the group, specifically this “Kuroo” character. After making some of the drinks, he noticed that he didn’t get Kuroo’s order, so he decided to make him something special, smiling to himself This, was going to be funny. 

Skillfully, Akaashi moved through the even thicker ‘stew’ of sweaty drunks and women flinging themselves at the men around them in the hopes one would buy them a drink. Upon returning to the table once again he passed back the drinks to each of the men, and lastly, placed one down in front of Kuroo with an overly loud -thump- 

“Oh ho ho, I don’t remember ordering anything” Kuroo took a sip of the drink, and looking down at it, “This is really good! What is it?” he stared at Akaashi expectantly, almost like a child.

Akaashi gave him a blinding smile, and smoothly replied “It’s just like you, a virgin! The only difference is that it actually looks good.” he gestured to the drink. This, earned Akaashi an “Oooooooh!” from Kuroo’s friends. Hanamaki had walked over in time to hear the whole joke, and couldn’t control his laughter

“Damn Akaashi, you're on a roll today! What’s gotten into you lately?” Hanamaki chuckled

“Hopefully I can” Kuroo replied before Akaashi could open his mouth 

“In your dreams, sweetheart. ” Akaashi snapped. Well he recovered quickly...

“Oh Akaashi, don’t be so mean, eh?” Hanamaki giggled, lightly hip checking Akaashi towards the back

Akaashi scoffed with a slight smile and walked away, Hanamaki close behind him, who was still giggling occasionally. It was going to be a very long night. 

 

It was almost two, and they still had plenty of their staff at hand, so he asked Daichi if he could head out early. And lucky for Akaashi, he agreed.

Akaashi began to walk to his car humming to himself, just thinking about a new painting he wanted to work on. He content with the night. That was pretty much his train of thought until he saw Kenma walking out of the bakery, and locking the doors. Why the hell is he still here so late? Didn’t Ennoshita drive him and Hinata here? Why is he by himself? Akaashi was very upset at the other two for leaving Kenma here, so immediately, he called out to the blond.

“Kenma!” two voices called, causing Akaashi’s head to snap back with wide eyes, just to see Kuroo, who was also staring at him.

Akaashi immediately turned his back to Kuroo for a second time that night, and walked up to meet his friend. “Kenma, why are you here so late, shouldn’t you be home by now?” Akaashi chastised him, crossing his arms in front of his chest, as if he was Kenma’s mother.  
“I had to finish an order. The customer is coming in tomorrow morning, and it wasn’t done yet.”

Akaashi crossed his arms, and tutted slightly, “Why didn’t you ask someone to help you? Wouldn’t have that relieved at least some stress from you?”

“No.” Kenma pushed his hair from his face, “They specifically asked for me, so i had to do it all myself.”

Akaashi twisted his lips to the side, contemplating on arguing, but decide, what is done is done. With a sigh, he continued, “Anyway, we can go home together then, you’re lucky i'm here right now. Ugh, I’m sure the house still smells like smoke.”

“Honestly, I don’t want to deal with that right now. Might I ask why you are in short shorts and a crop top?”

“I was late…again.”

“Mm. Was Suga making you try his ‘new creations’ again?” 

Kuroo tried interjecting multiple times, but the two others were currently ignoring him, and at the mention of his new boss’s name made his head spin a little.

“Yeah”

“Okay.” Kenma tilted his head slightly, so he could peer around Akaashi and address Kuroo “Why are you here any way?”

Kuroo gasped and threw his hand over his heart, feigning offence for the hundredth time that night. At this point it just made Akaashi roll his eyes and groan. Right as he was about to reply, Kenma turned back to Akaashi, “I assume you’ve met Kuroo?”

“Unfortunately.”

Gasping, again, Kuroo replied, “I’m a damn pleasure to meet! Don’t be so rude, you were mean to me all night.”

“You probably deserved it, Kuroo” Kenma said, huffing

“Kenma! You're supposed to side with me! I’m your best friend! I’ve known you since... like...birth! Don’t betray me!”

I’ve replaced you! Akaashi mouthed, as he pulled out his car keys

Kuroo leaned on the beautiful, sleek black sports behind him, “Well i’ll just have to leave you guys behind then” he smirked “I mean just look at my car, isn't he a beaut?”

Akaashi crossed an arm over his chest, one arm resting on the other as he twisted his keys between his fingers and jutted his hip out.

“First of all,” Akaashi said, pressing the button to unlock the car in which Kuroo was so casually leaning on the hood of “get off of my car, you utter animal.”  
Kuroo’s eyes widened as he stood up and the two got in the car

“And second, ‘he’ is a she. Don't be fucking rude.” Akaashi placeed the keys in the ignition, and revved the engine. Usually he wouldn't show off, but he didn't give a single fuck tonight. It's not like he would have to see Kuroo again.

Kenma sighed and looked back at Kuroo, “See ya later”

Shoulders slumped in defeat, “Bye Kenma, I’ll see you later” his shoulders raised slightly, still a little shocked as he leaned on the door, he said “And I’ll see you tomorrow night, Angel Eyes” and winked. 

Akaashi snorted and called out “I'm off tomorrow!” as he floored the gas and sped out of the parking lot, leaving Kuroo to stare, shocked. 

“Well damn…” Kuroo whispered as he still stood dumbfounded in the settling dust. Well, that until he finally became aware of how fast his heart had been beating the entire time.  
“Fucking Angel Eyes” he laughed, shaking his head with a hand over his heart. The black car suited the owner, in Kuroo’s perspective. It reminded him of Akaashi’s dark eyes and the beautiful, alluring feelling he got from both...

 

The sky littered with explosions of navy, black, tints of grey and deep blues, only interrupted by the small specks of silver stars shining prominently in the cloudless night. Kuroo let out a long sigh, he couldn’t stop thinking about the way the shorter’s eyes gleamed deviously. If he was being honest, he wouldn’t hesitate in saying how genuinely gorgeous he thought the man was. However, his pride kept him from doing so. 

I guess I could just keep going back to the bar? God, i’d probably became an alcoholic… Kuroo couldn’t shake the image of the beauty out of his mind. Akaashi…he was so close in that one moment...he should have gone for it. Albeit, he doubted that the latter would give him a second glance, had it not been for Kenma. 

Kuroo continued on, going about his night. He started his new job in a couple days and he knew there would be the consequence of a minor hangover the night before he was supposed to go have a talk to his boss, so he could get a rundown of how things worked and got his uniform. This made him glad that Akaashi was (unfortunatel) off tomorrow. He didn’t drink as much alcohol as he usually did when he went out, mainly because most of them were virgin because Akaashi decided to be an ass… Maybe, he thought I should thank him...I’d probably be drunk outta my ass right now if he hadn’t decided to be a dick. Kuroo smiled fondly to nobody in specific.

Maybe, just maybe...things were going to turn out okay.

 

You never know….everything could just work out….  
Maybe. 

Kuroo hummed as he played with the black and white owl feather charm on his leather braided bracelet 

 

“Bo would be siked to meet this guy” he said to the stars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)


	3. Should have drank tea instead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Don't let Akaashi drink coffee in the mornings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has been 84 years since i've updates

The week that had ensued was fairly calm. There were no big surprises or especially annoying customers. Actually, the calmness of it all was both soothing and a little boring to the ravenette.

  
  


Akaashi yawned, stretching on his bed lazily. Morning light showered his room generously, casting itself pleasantly on the man’s face, effulgence warming his cheeks, he softly smiled at the sound of the birds singing in front of their house. The clang of dishes coming from the kitchen and the sweet smell of freshly brewed coffee. He felt good today, which wasn’t usually the case, he absolutely hated the mornings, like,  _ loathed  _ them. 

 

On a normal day, he would have been immediately pissed by the too bright light glaring in his eyes, feeling the murderous intent building in his gut at the screeching of the god forsaken birds that were too damn loud, and lastly, become nauseated at the smell of coffee, gagging as he slowly meandered down the stairs, clutching the wall and the banister. 

 

In a memory he had long since pushed back, he couldn’t quite recall why he hated coffee in the morning, or in general… It was quite strange. He could remember loving it for the longest time, it used to be the only thing he drank in college, but now, he would never drink coffee, Hinata and Ennoshita would always question him about it, and for some reason, Kenma would always get sort of on edge, telling them to stop. 

 

_ Hmm, I guess I’ll worry about it some other time _ , he hummed to himself, _ I feel like having coffee for once _ .    

 

As he walked into the kitchen, what he saw had a quite relaxing, and lazy feel to it. The sun’s rays illuminated the white walls of the room, glowing, the pale blue curtains fluttering in the breeze, the deep brown wood table had three coffee cups on it, filling the kitchen with the rich aroma of the beans. Ennoshita stood over the stove making pancakes as Hinata confided in Kenma about his love life, with a fairly bored, yet still, just barely intrigued looking Kenma. 

 

With a small smile Akaashi walked over to the cabinet and pulled out his favorite cup, it was pretty old (if cups could age, his looks like it would be in its mid 80’s), he got it when he was hanging out with Kenma once, ages ago… but he can't quite remember why. That seemed to be a common theme this morning. Nonetheless, it was his favorite cup, one he would never part with. He poured the steaming blackish-brown liquid into his cup, as he poured in the creamer, and accidently added too much sugar… was it an accident? Either way, it had an odd sort of unsettling familiarity to it. 

 

Ignoring the whirling feeling deep in his stomach, he sat at the table with his drink, and was greeted by a wide-eyed Kenma and a gasping Hinata. “Akaashi! You’re  _ FINALLY _ drinking coffee with us! What’s the occasion?” Hinata almost fell out of his chair he was bouncing so much. Kenma spoke softly and carefully, as if he was trying to coax Akaashi out of doing something, much like someone would a small child about to hurt themselves “Yeah, Akaashi? You usually don’t drink coffee. Should you?” he trailed off, pushing aside his phone.

 

Akaashi frowned slightly, eyes still lidded from exhaustion “There’s no occasion, Hinata, I just, felt like having coffee today. And Kenma, I just felt like it, I’ll be fine.” He lifted the cup with both hands and deeply inhaled the sweet, rich smell of it. Placing the drink to his lips, he took a small sip of the coffee and hummed. 

 

It reminded him of warm mornings and bright, golden light. 

He took a second sip, his heart warmed, then clenched, stomach dropped and eyes widened as he slammed the cup onto the table, staring at it as if it had just ripped his dear friends limb from limb. 

He remembered why he hated coffee so much.

 

He remembered things he suppressed so far back, it was nearly forgotten. But now, they began pouring over him like acid. It stung and burnt its way to his core. It had started out as warm and fuzzy, but quickly turned to scorching and tearing. He felt tears pool in his dulled eyes. No longer was he enveloped in a delightful, placid morning brimming with laughter and comfort. No longer did he see the faces of his friends, but a pair of golden eyes, staring at him.

 

Instead, he was enveloped in strong, tan arms. He watched, as realization dawned, He saw a tall man, with owlish eyes, black and white hair that split into two points, a goofy smile aimed at him, and him alone. Akaashi remembered early mornings spent sitting on the couch cuddling, sipping coffee Bokuto had made for him that always a little too sweet, but never had the heart to tell him. He remembered promises made in a sleepy haze, promises to never leave, and to love each other forever.

 

It hurt. It all hurt so much, it was overwhelming. He remembered coffee flavored kisses, as warm arms embraced him reassuringly, saying that he would never leave. Lies… It was all lies…

 

Akaashi sat in his chair, stiff for a few seconds before he stood up and walked over to the sink, practically throwing the cup into the sink. The handle shattered. Tears streamed down his face as he grimaced at the cup. It had been four years since he left Bokuto, but four years couldn’t wash away the feelings of an almost nine year relationship. When he thought about it, he became enraged and sad and just, frustrated. After all these years that bastard still had a hold on him, a hold on his heart and it made him nauseous. How dare that fucker ruin coffee for him.

So he sat there over the sink, a small piece of porcelain was lodged in his hand, allowing a stream of blood pour from his hand into the white sink. It reminded him of the paint from what seemed like a lifetime ago.

 

Why?

 

Immediately, Kenma pushed the two others out of the kitchen, telling them to head over to the bakery without him and that he would take care of the dishes so that they could leave faster. Both were reluctant to leave, they wanted to stay and help Akaashi, but they knew that Kenma was closer to Akaashi than they ever could be so after a small, valiant struggle, they had caved and left.    

 

Kenma padded lightly over to Akaashi, and pulled him into a tight hug. Once again, he was using his hushed, sweet tone to try and get Akaashi to follow him into the living room. Akaashi tightened his jaw, his teeth grinding together painfully. He was pissed. An aching sense of sadness and betrayal began to slowly creep into his heart. As he shuffled with Kenma, he wrapped his arms around his chest, he had to protect himself. He knew that he had to rely on himself no matter what.

 

Kenma guided him to the couch and made him plop down onto the seat. The furniture still smelled faintly of smoke. Akaashi stared blankly at the wall in front of him with glaring, unblinking eyes. Quickly, Kenma ran upstairs and rummaged through his bedding, until he found what he needed. He came back downstairs to see Akaashi curled in a tight ball again, but this time, his eyes were shut.

 

He could see the man’s undeniably beautiful eyes fill with water, until they overflowed onto his cheeks. His smokey eyes that were always sharp and attentive, were blurry with tears, making Kenma’s heart ache. He hated seeing his friend like this.

 

Kenma sat down on the couch next to him, and placed the blanket he brought from upstairs onto Akaashi. He and Akaashi had made the blanket together and whenever either of them were too far gone in sadness or anger to think properly and calmly as they normally did,  the other would always find the blanket and wrap them in it. 

 

It was an unspoken promise, one that reassured them both that ‘when all else fails, I will be there for you.’ They had a fairly intimate connection, closer than that of best friends, but never to the point of being a couple. Slowly, Akaashi’s breathing began to even out again and the shaking ceased, his fists clenched. Kenma had a hand on his back, and moved it in small, comforting circles. 

 

Akaashi took a deep breath and sat up, rubbing his eyes and let out a small chuckle. He sighed, the picture of the man still glaring brightly on his eyelids. “Kenma,” Akaashi whispered “I’ll drive you to work.”

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“Yeah. I need to get outside, the smoke is starting to make my head spin. God, I didn’t know how bad that would turn out...huh. Anyway, let's go, you're already late as it is,” Akaashi paused “and… thanks Kenma.”

 

“Mm. Thanks to you too.” Kenma smiled, one of his rare smiles, it was a wide smile that made you want to bask in its rarity. 

 

The car drive over was silent but enjoyable, the kind of silence that was appreciated and very needed at times like these. Apparently, Hinata had already told Suga what had happened in order to excuse Kenma’s tardiness, because the silver haired man was standing outside the bakery anxiously. 

 

Both of the men jumped out of the car and walked up to Suga, who nodded at Kenma to go inside, and gently clasped one of Akaashi’s clammy hands, dragging him behind him. As Akaashi entered the bakery, he instantly recognized the sloppy head of hair from the week before, and groaned internally, luckily his back was facing the two of them. He knew he looked like a mess, and hated feeling vulnerable in front of anyone. 

 

Akaashi hung his head, staring intently at his feet as Suga put a hand on his shoulder whispering to him. Only a few people knew about what happened between he and Bokuto, and the ones that knew would become extremely concerned for him whenever he would slip into a mini episode from the past years’ memories. Akaashi was glad that he had people to take care of him in those times. He knew he probably wouldn’t be able to handle all of this on his own.

  
  
  
  


Finally, Kuroo looked up and saw Akaashi walking with his boss to the back to the kitchen of the bakery, and was delighted at the man’s presence.

“Angel Eyes!” Kuroo called out, “What are you doing here?” he jogged over to where the latter was standing.

 

Akaashi made brief eye contact and averted his gaze from the intense stare of his amber eyes. Amber eyes that seemed all too familiar… Suga pulled him closer, like a mother protecting her child. “Not now Kuroo.” Suga all but hissed as he swept Akaashi into the back.

 

Kuroo was shocked, he didn’t think Suga’s voice could go that low… Then he remembered that Kenma and Akaashi lived together and went to go ask him, he was cleaning a table as a short boy with orange hair and a tall-ish guy with brown hair. He picked up only a few words of the conversation, which included the subject of his ponderings: Akaashi.

 

For his first official shift, it was a very weird way to start the day.

 

“....are you sure he’s okay?” the orange haired boy asked

 

“Kenma? He looked pretty angry and kinda sad… what was that about?” the brunette inquired. 

 

“Nothing.” Kenma shot a look over his shoulder. He worried his bottom lip with his teeth

 

“Kenma!” Kuroo whined “What’s up with Angel Eyes? And how does he know Suga? Why is he here? I have so many questions…. Like, how do you two know him?” Kuroo glanced over two the two strangers.

 

“Well, first of all, they know Akaashi better than you do, Kuroo.” Kenma replied, poking Kuroo so he would step back and the shorter could get by, “They both live with us, we’ve known each other since college. The one with orange hair is Hinata,” Hinata waved and turned back to Kenma to speak, but was interrupted as Kenma continued while tapping away on his phone “And the other one is Ennoshita.” 

 

Ennoshita crossed his arms over his chest defensively “How do you know Akaashi?”

 

Before Kuroo could respond, he saw Akaashi walking out from the back with Suga, and the door to the bakery slammed open, revealing a man with what seemed to be eyeliner around his eyes and dyed blonde hair. He had the disposition of a dog ready to kill, Kuroo felt uneasy as soon as he started walking towards Akaashi, and ushered him into a seat next to Suga.

 

Kuroo was about to ask Kenma who that was, but he was already standing next to the Suga. He had even more questions now, and nobody to answer them. 

 

Somebody else now ran through the door, he was about as tall as Kuroo, with chocolate brown eyes and carefully styled hair that matched his eyes, and a pale complexion. 

 

“Kyouken-chan! What the hell?! YOU SCARED THE LIVING  _ SHIT  _ OUT OF THAT CUSTOMER! I honestly think they pissed themselves!” the man practically screamed into Kuroo’s ear, the pitch get higher with each word.

 

Kuroo winced at his high pitched voice. “Oh!” the new guy chirped, “My name is Oikawa Tooru! I own the place up stairs, Aoba Boba!” Oikawa shined him a blinding smile. “What’s your name?”

 

“I’m Kuroo Tetsuro.” Kuroo wasn’t paying attention to Oikawa at this point, mainly because the pink haired man from the bar last night joined the small group, with a curly haired brunette in tow. What was going on?

 

Oikawa huffed “Why aren’t you listening to me? I’ve been talking to you this entire time and you aren’t even looking at me!”

 

“What?” Kuroo asked absentmindedly 

 

“Ugh, I  _ said _ , my boyfriend saw you at the bar a couple of nights ago, and that Akaashi was messing with you or something. Was it true he was  _ actually _ flirting with you? Like, he  _ never _ does that. He won’t even hug me. And look at me! I’m cute as fuck.” Oikawa pouted at the last part.

 

Kuroo smiled slightly “Yeah, he was really sassy too. He’s actually really funny, we shared a couple laughs that night.”

 

Oikawa gasped, hands going straight to his mouth before he continued, “Well, I have to go deal with some shit. I’ll see you later, Tetsu-chan~” he turned walked behind the counter next to the table

 

What the fuck? Who else was going to show up now? Why didn’t he know what’s happening?

He walked over to the corner of the bakery where Hinata and Ennoshita were standing, accompanied by a short blond girl and a couple of other employees he had yet to meet. As he did so, one last man walked through the door (greeted only by a soft “Iwa-chan”) and without a word, he walked to the back and hugged Akaashi. Kuroo felt a slight tinge of something in his stomach, and he didn’t like it.

 

“What the hell is going on? Someone  _ please  _ explain all this shit to me” Kuroo demanded

 

“This happens like, once a every, like, 8 months since I started working here. I’m still not entirely sure what happened with Akaashi, but it must have been pretty bad for Kyoutani and Oikawa to care...Oh! Sorry about that! My name is Yachi Hitoka, I look forward to working with you” Yachi smiled sweetly at Kuroo. “I’m Kuroo. And, not to be rude, but I’m even more lost now?”

 

“You’re not the only one. Hinata and I have been living with Akaashi and Kenma for what? I dunno, three and a half years now? And we still have no idea what’s going on.”

 

Slightly irritated, he decided that he would just ask Akaashi. Maybe they could even become friends? That would be nice… and-

 

“I would  _ not  _ go over there right now.” Hinata spoke barely over a whisper, “Well, unless you want to be instantly murdered that is. They get vicious.”

 

“How do they all know each other?” he asked for the hundredth time

 

Ennoshita was the one to finally respond. Apparently, the one with too much eyeliner had ended up in the same art classes for almost five years now, the Oikawa character and the bartender Iwaizumi were a package deal (Akaashi was a little closer to Iwa, which kind of pissed off Kuroo), Akaashi had known Suga, Mattsun, Makki and Kenma since high school (how such a gorgeous man had been friends with his best friend all of these years is still unbeknownst to him). 

  
  


The three dispersed throughout the bakery to do all of the prep for the fast approaching lunch rush, leaving Kuroo by himself, staring at the group surrounding Akaashi. 

  
  
  
  


Akaashi was glad he had such loving friends around him, but he wished that they wouldn’t make such a big deal everytime it happened. Sure he got really fucked up when it happened, but it made him a little nervous at times.

Be that as it may, it was still kinda nice… They would all just sit there with him, holding him, speaking occasionally. Sometimes it felt like overkill, but on other days? Sometimesit wasn’t enough. They knew how he had really felt about the whole ordeal with his ex. Only they knew how madly in love Akaashi was with Bokuto. Only they knew, about the question asked just  _ four  _ days before Akaashi left him. 

 

They knew about the question.

 

The question in which Akaashi was asked involving that of a marriage proposal. It was hell for the ravenette, and they did everything they could for him.

 

Luckily, it had slowly become a little easier to manage as the years passed.

 

By the time lunch rolled around, Oikawa, Kyoutani and Iwaizumi had left, but he was starting to feel better. Suga was running about trying to help with the baking and helping customers, and Kenma made constant detours to the table he, Mattsun, and Makki were sitting at. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Kuroo working (and stealing the occasional glance at Akaashi), and flirting with some of the the girls (and guys) earning a many blushes and nervous giggles. This made Akaashi laugh softly. Kuroo was using some of the same moves that he had used on the letter a couple nights before, mainly just getting a little close, flexing his arms more than necessary or sticking his ass out a little, just enough to be noticeable. 

 

However, for reasons he would later deny, Akaashi wanted Kuroo to come over to their table, but it seemed as if he was purposely steering clear of the back half. Akaashi frowned as he watched Kuroo walk behind the counter and stay there, switching with Hinata. He stood up and walked over to the counter, much to Makki’s protest, his argument being “We can just order shit from Kenma! The counter’s too far away!” even though the counter was exactly two tables away from them. 

 

Akaashi stood there, watching Kuroo moving fluidly behind the counter, making drinks and giving people their to-go items. It was busier today than it usually was and Akaashi sort of enjoyed it, especially because he wasn’t a complete mess this time around. 

 

There was a group of girls infront of him. They were all talking and giggling, two blushing as they raked their eyes over Akaashi’s figure, and the other two practically drooling over Kuroo

 

There was a fifth, more confident looking girl standing before them, and turned back to look at Akaashi, she had light brown eyes and curly blonde hair with aggresively glossed lips. 

 

Akaashi immediately felt uncomfortable under the scrutinizing gaze.

 

“Girls he’s obviously gay stop gaping at him. He’d never go for any of you anyway.”

 

The girls all gasped, covering their mouths gaping at one another, some of them whispering “I'm so sorry!” “You can’t just say that!” and “Oh my god”; the curly haired girl gasped loudly, mocking her friends. As the couple in front of her left, she swirled around and leaned onto the table in a manner that made her chest look much larger.

 

Akaashi rolled his eyes. He hated girls that did that

 

“Hey cutie! You sure are something” she smirked

 

Kuroo gave her a polite smile and began to make the drinks

 

“So, cutie, do you have any plans after your shift? Maybe we could get to know eachother better~” The girls behind her started giggling again, whispering to eachother.

 

“Ah, sorry love, but I do have plans,” he glanced behind her at Akaashi, “Sorry to disapoint.” he placed their drinks down

 

She chirped as she sipped her minty-green drink, passing the other girls their equally as colorful drinks, one blue, one pink, one pale yellow and a coffee.

 

“Aww too bad! Maybe you could give me your number and we could hang” she winked

 

He smiled at her, “Sorry again, I’m not supposed to give out my number at work”

 

She pouted, “Fine, You seem boring anyway.”

The group of girls huffed and walked away, trailing behind her like puppies

 

Akaashi took the three remaining steps up to the counter, staring Kuroo in the eyes.

 

“Angel Eyes! I’m happy I can  _ finally  _ talk to you” Kuroo was leaning on the counter with his head in his hands, smiling, completely ignoring the girl trying to get his number.

“Hello, Kuroo.” Akaashi let a small smile break the surface of his neutral expression

 

“Those girls were something else, huh?” he laughed

 

“You can say that again” he mumbled, “I don’t think I could ever handle college girls.” he shivered.

 

“Um….Akaashi?” Kuroo rubbed his neck sheepishly “Do you want to have dinner later? Like...just the two of us?”

Akaashi was a little shocked, and answered “I- um…” he took a deep breath “I’m not sure, I was supposed to hang out with those two today” Akaashi nodded at Mattsun and Makki, who were currently trying to see who could eat  more sugar packets, and groaned, “and, well, this morning's been kinda… interesting? Maybe later though?” Akaashi bit his bottom lip

 

“Oh...okay!” Kuroo let his hands fall to the counter, making a clicking noise

 

“What’s that? Akaashi looked down at Kuroo’s wrist, it had a bracelet on with white and black metal feathers hanging from it.

 

“My best friend gave it to me! He’s the bomb, you have to meet him someday!” Kuroo beamed at the mention of his best friend.

 

Akaashi laughed, “That's cute” he smiled “I should probably go back to my table, Kuroo.”

 

“Alright… Wait, Akaashi you didn’t order anything”

 

Akaashi hummed, “Maybe I just wanted to talk?”

 

“Oh” he smiled softly, “Okay”

 

“I Look forward to meeting your friend, Kuroo” Akaashi called behind him

 

Akaashi walked back to his table, only to find Makki attempting to recite the Bee movie with a mouth full of sugar as Mattsun recorded, the sugar packets from the surrounding four tables were mysteriously missing...

 

“According to all known laws of aviation, there is no way a bee should be able to fly. Its wings are too small to get its fat little body off the ground. The bee, of course, flies anyway because bees don't care what-”

 

“Oh fuck this.” Akaashi turned from the table and went back to the counter “You know what? I’d love to get dinner.”

 

“Great! I’ll pick you up at eight.” Kuroo had on a silly smile, too large for his face. Akaashi let a small smile grace his lips.

 

_ This was going to be interesting _ , Akaashi thought to himself as he walked to the table to grab his stuff. As he walked towards the door after saying his goodbyes, he heard Mattsun yell “Treat yourself honey!” to his back, and Makki screamed “Stay safe darling! DON’T TALK TO STRANGERS! I LOVE YOU!”

 

Akaashi had to force the smile off of his face as he glanced back at the pair with a neutral, yet exhausted look on his face. Easily he pulled on his jacket and smallish bag as he headed out of the warm bakery.

 

He could hear the hidden caution in their words. It seemed obscure, but they wouldn’t be caught dead showing compassion in public. Mattsun was saying ‘feel better, it’ll be okay’, and Makki was saying ‘be careful, don’t let it happen a second time, we will always be here for you.

 

Akaashi loved those damn idiots. He walked out the door, and saw the beautiful sky, sun still high, shining with hope and joy.

Everything was going to be okay.

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since i'm changing the course of the story some of it is no longer written so I have to re work it now oof


End file.
